Westhill’s girls basketball team thought it had all the momentum it needs for its rematch this Saturday against unbeaten, state Class B no. 2-ranked Bishop Grimes – until a late-game rally by Cazenovia in last Friday night’s 40-39 defeat changed matters.
Entering last week’s action with an eight-game win streak, the Warriors made it eight in a row in a familiar fashion on Wednesday night, overcoming yet another slow start with yet another fast finish to beat Altmar-Parish-Williamstown 51-38.
In a rematch of last winter’s Section III Class B semifinal, the Rebels got hot in the first quarter and jumped out to a 20-10 lead. But it never even got to 20 points the rest of the way.
Taking over, Westhill’s defense erased most of that deficit, and the Warriors only trailed by two, 24-22, at halftime before doubling up APW 16-8 in the third quarter and moving in front for good.
Delaney Martin led the comeback, producing 17 points. Mackenzie Martin and Morgan Elmer each had 10 points, while Mary Kate Washburn had six points. For the Rebels, DeShae Jones got 14 points and Kylee Bartlett added 13 points.
When Cazenovia visited on Friday, all looked normal for a while. Throughout the first half, and deep into the second, Westhill’s defensive attention given to Lakers forward Maggie Johnson, who finished with just six points, was something Cazenovia could not overcome.
And it peaked during a third quarter where the Warriors, already leading 26-15, held the Lakers to four points. At the same time, though, Cazenovia held Westhill to five points in that period, and would continue to clamp down even as, on the offensive side, Danielle Tedesco and Kelsi Fredericks would make the Warriors pay for its lavish attention on Johnson.
Tedesco, with open looks, earned most of her 16 points in the fourth quarter, and Fredericks hit a trio of 3-pointers to account for all of her nine points. Together, they helped the Lakers outscore Westhill 21-8 in those last eight minutes. Washburn finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Delaney Martin had nine points. Elmer got six points and Meghan Burke contributed seven points.
Bishop Ludden, mired in a month-long slump, finally broke out of it in last Monday’s game at Hannibal, where it put together an impressive all-around effort and beat that other group of Warriors 59-46.
Entering the game at 2-8, the Gaelic Knights did not get rattled facing 8-3 Hannibal, even when the Warriors held them to seven points in the first quarter. Picking up the pace, Ludden grabbed a 25-23 lead by halftime, and then gradually pulled away during the last two periods.
A lot of that had to do with freshman Danielle Rauch, who piled up 27 points, nearly half of it from four 3-pointers. Sara Hayes, with 13 points, offered ample help, while Allie Wiegand stepped up with nine points. Though Hannibal’s Sydney Alton led her side with 22 points, Ludden made sure none of Alton’s teammates scored in double figures.
That momentum carried over into Thursday night’s 67-45 victory over Phoenix. Ludden flew out of the gate during a 24-4 first quarter after the Firebirds had surrendered 39 points in the first quarter to Grimes two nights earlier.
Even with the rest of the game played on even terms, the Gaelic Knights rolled as Rauch stayed hot, finishing with 29 points. Support came from Liz DeMartino, who had eight points, along with Clara O’Kane (seven points), Sara Hayes and Allie Wiegand (six points each).
Solvay, amid its own slump, briefly broke out of its last Tuesday night when it went to Fowler and routed the Falcons 64-26. The Bearcats steadily worked its way to a 32-11 halftime lead, and continued to add to that margin the rest of the way.
Chelsie Delperuto got 20 points, adding six rebounds, five assists, five steals and three blocks. Aleah Yaizzo added 14 points, with Gianna Pennisi earning nine points and Victoria Young getting eight points and six rebounds. Jackie Gardner contributed six rebounds.
